Apostrophe For Intermediate learners
What Is the Apostrophe in French?
The apostrophe (l'apostrophe) is a very common punctuation mark in French. It is mainly used to show elision, which means that a vowel is dropped to make pronunciation smoother. Unlike English, the apostrophe in French is not used for possession.
What Is Elision?
Elision happens when a word ending in a vowel drops that vowel before a word starting with a vowel or silent h. The apostrophe replaces the missing vowel.
With Articles
Definite articles lose their vowel before a vowel sound.
Full form | Elided form |
|---|---|
le ami | l'ami |
la école | l'école |
le hôtel | l'hôtel (silent h) |
Look at the examples below:
L'ami arrive.
The friend arrives.
L'école est fermée.
The school is closed.
L'homme parle.
The man speaks.
Aspirated H
If the h is aspirated, no apostrophe is used.
le héros (not l'héros ✖)
the hero
la haine (not l'haine ✖)
la haine
With Pronouns
Some pronouns use elision.
Je → j'
J'aime le chocolat.
I love chocolate.
me → m'
Il m'appelle.
He calls me.
te → t'
Je t'attends.
I'm waiting for you.
se → s'
Il s'habille.
He gets dressed.
With Demonstrative Ce
The demonstrative ce becomes c' before a vowel or silent h. This is very common in everyday French.
C'est vrai.
It's true.
C'est une bonne idée.
That's a good idea.
C'est incroyable !
That's incredible!
C'est mon ami.
That's my friend.
With Conjunctions
Certain short words always use elision.
que → qu'
Je pense qu'il vient.
I think he is coming.
si → s' (before il/ils)
S'il pleut, nous resterons.
If it rains, we will stay.
With Prepositions
The apostrophe appears in some fixed forms.
de + vowel → d'
D'accord !
Okay!
jusque → jusqu'
Jusqu'ici, tout va bien.
So far, everything is fine.
lorsque → lorsqu'
Lorsqu'il arrive, appelle-moi.
When he arrives, call me.
Apostrophe in Negation
It is used in negative structures.
Je n'aime pas ça.
I don't like that.
Here, ne → n' before vowels.
Il n'est pas ici.
He is not here.
What the Apostrophe Does Not Do in French
Unlike English, apostrophes do not show possession.
English: John's book / French: le livre de John (no apostrophe)
Never use apostrophes for plurals.
Incorrect: des photo's ✖
Correct: des photos ✔
Tip!
In French typography, there is no space before or after the apostrophe.
Incorrect: l' homme ✖
Correct: l'homme ✔
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